Tuesday 28 April 2020

The Weeping Cufflinks

This is the latest poetry publication from Tom Sharp and is described as "a capitalist folk-horror cautionary tale in the manner of a Jacobean pamphlet". It is designed and woodcut illustrated by Katherina Tudball. This is their third creative collaboration and a part of the Faery Fellers project.
Size is 230x145mm, portrait and is a 24pp self cover printed on our Redeem 100% Recycled 100gsm.
Click on images to enlarge
Below is centre spread. The binding is three hole sewn, in keeping with a style of binding that would have been familiar even in the 17th century ...before the invention of staples!
The below image shows the binding, using natural thread
Redeem 100% Recycled is a neutral white shade and is just perfect for this publication - many designers might have just used a cream paper, but this is just the right paper and really works superbly with the wonderful type and woodcut.
Detail of the woodcuts...
Click on images to enlarge
The below image shows the external image of the three hole sewing,
The printing, finishing and binding is by Boss Print who are based in Acton, West London. The edition is 1000 copies and you can buy a copy here.

https://www.thepoetryofitall.com/
https://www.faeryfellers.com/
https://www.bossprint.com/
Posted by Justin Hobson 28.04.2020

Friday 24 April 2020

Crush - a truly sustainable paper

Many of you will know about our lovely range called CRUSH made by Favini in Italy. The paper is made partly using the residue from the industrial processing of crushed citrus fruit, coffee, nuts, olives, kiwi, corn, lavender cherries and grapes, these agro-industrial "end of life" products replacing up to 15% of conventional tree pulp. The range is available in 100, 120, 200, 250 and 350gsm and the shades are natural, earthy tones and the feel of the paper is natural and tactile.

The 15% process residues are combined with 40% recycled fibres (post consumer waste) and the remainder is FSC virgin pulp and the product is FSC certified. The range is produced using green energy and is carbon balanced at the mill gate (we can also supply the paper in the UK, certified as carbon balanced)
This is the current swatch which shows the colours and range of weights...
Below are more detailed images and hopefully you can see the small specs and inclusions in the paper. Corn, Citrus and Grape, pictured below, are totally natural shades produced without the use of any dies, which can result in an amount of shade variation from batch to batch.
Click on images to enlarge
The deeper shades are produced with the addition of environmentally friendly vegetable dies which ensure greater colour consistency...
To accompany the swatch, the mill have produced a wonderful photographic book called X-RAY, printed on a the Crush range (in CMYK) throughout.
Nick Veasey is an internationally renowned photographer and has specialised in using incredibly detailed X-Ray photography and can quite legitimately be described as an Xray artist.
Above images are CMYK, below the images are reproduced as Duotones.
Below image showing right hand page printed in Silver (Pantone 877)
The book is French folded and is 16pp (made using 8x french folded sections) which I hope you can see from the below image. The book is made using all the different shades in various weights and too complicated to list here!
The book is perfect bound and is beautifully finished with binding tape wrapped round the spine. The book has a dustjacket (with 118mm flaps).
Design and art direction is by Silk Pearce.

If you would like a copy of the X-Ray book, just ask me for one! Email justin@fennerpaper.co.uk

https://www.nickveasey.com/
https://www.favini.com/gs/en/
https://www.silkpearce.com/
Posted by Justin Hobson 24.04.2020

Tuesday 21 April 2020

Fault Lines

https://www.freelandsfoundation.co.uk/Freelands Foundation was founded by Elisabeth Murdoch and is based in Camden, London. The Foundation is run by Managing Director, Melanie Cassoff and Creative Director, Henry Ward. The Foundation’s mission is to support artists and cultural institutions, to broaden audiences for the visual arts and to enable all young people to engage actively with the creation and enjoyment of art.

Fault Lines is the title of the exhibition held at the foundation last year. Curated by Freelands Artist Programme Curator, Edward Ball, the show connected work from four UK-based artists whose sculptural works, and the material processes that underpin them, suggest a ripple of instability in their very foundations.
This is the literature produced to support the exhibition. The portrait format publication which consists of a 16pp outer text (186x124mm) on Offenbach Bible 60gsm and you can see the show through working positively with the word 'Lines' showing through...
The 12pp inner section is A5 (210x148mm) and is used to shows the work. The birdseye view below, shows the smaller outside text with the A5 inner.
The binding is saddle stitched, so it opens nice and flat. The outer text section on Offenbach Bible is printed in just one colour, which is a pantone special, in green.
The inner text section is printed offset litho in CMYK plus a special pantone (green) on our StarFine White 170gsm, an uncoated text paper which has printed beautifully, with the solid and the images looking brilliant.
The below image shows the superbly finished saddle stitching, nice neat and flat...
There are many posts on this blog, showing work printed on Offenbach Bible 60gsm which has lots of four colour, solid colours and really demanding printing. Arguably, this job, with just one colour type printed both sides, demonstrates more what Offenbach Bible is produced for. Genuine bible papers, are produced with exceptional opacity, good strength and archival quality. This publication shows just how good the opacity is and is just as demanding as many jobs which are covered in colour and images. The type looks exquisite - surely the combination of the typeface, the printing and the paper.
The whole publication flows beautifully - an inside out job in may ways with the heavier material on the inside and the lighter material on the outside.
The publication is designed by Utile. Creative Director is Nicholas Duggins and designer is William Lyall. Print is by Identity Print, based in Paddock Wood with Paul Martin handling the project.

You can read more about the exhibition here.

https://www.freelandsfoundation.co.uk/
https://utile.studio/
http://www.identityprint.co.uk/
Posted by Justin Hobson 21.04.2020

Thursday 16 April 2020

Toast - The Making of a Pioneer

TOAST began with loungewear and nightwear, designed in a farmhouse in Wales. Founded by James and Jessica Seaton in 1997, the collections reflected a sense of ease and a slower, more thoughtful way of life.

Today, led by Suzie de Rohan Willner, TOAST creates and curates simple, functional, beautiful clothing and homeware. TOAST has shops throughout the UK and can be found in concept stores across the US and Europe. With studios in both London and Swansea, TOAST continues to design and develop all collections in-house and is proud to be one of the few fashion brands with its own full pattern room – lined with calico toiles and full of pins, papers, chalks and spools of thread, it is a true place of making.
This publication is their wonderful look-book for the AW19 collection titled The Making of a Pioneer and begins with this preface:
Click on images to enlarge
The look-book is A4 size (297x210mm) portrait, saddle stitched with a 90pp text and is printed offset litho in CMYK throughout. 
The superb photography of Jo Metson Scott appears throughout the publication...
The reproduction is excellent as you can see from the image below, you can even see the detail in the dark areas of CMYK
The 90pp text is printed on Shiro Echo, White 90gsm which is 100% recycled and FSC accredited and as you can see, it works just beautifully...
Throughout the publication there are essays, including this one about Eva Hesse written by Corinne Julius
Click on images to enlarge
...and an article titled Inside the Kew Herbarium written by Matt Collins, with photography by Kendal Noctor.
House and Home photography is by Noemie Reijnen.
It's hard to know where to stop, these spreads are just so good, the mono image (reproduced in CMYK) is superb.
The look-book flops and folds in the hand beautifully...
Creative Director is Luciana Newell, who's work has appeared on this blog before. Graphic designer is Mia Shurey. The excellent print and finishing is by Westdale Press, based in Cardiff.

A superbly produced publication; art direction, photography, design, writing and printing is all truly excellent.

http://www.westdale.co.uk/
http://www.jometsonscott.com/
Posted by Justin Hobson 16.04.2020